A solicitors’ firm was paid nearly £100,000 for advice on how to cut the pay and conditions of workers at Wales’ second largest council, it has been revealed.

A solicitors’ firm was paid nearly £100,000 for advice on how to cut the pay and conditions of workers at Wales’ second largest council, it has been revealed.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council has paid the legal company Eversheds almost £500,000 for its legal work since 2008 – including £95,739 relating specifically to a controversial deal that saw staff forced to accept pay cuts and poorer working conditions.

Figures obtained by a Plaid Cymru member using the Freedom of Information Act revealed that Eversheds picked up £164,547 in 2008-09, £169,345 in 2009-10 and £162,660 in 2010-11 for its legal work on behalf of Rhondda Cynon Taf council.

Plaid AM Leanne Wood, who represents South Wales Central, said: “I’m sure the loyal and hard-working council staff, who were coerced into accepting anything up to a 40% reduction in their pay packets, will be shaking their heads in dismay.

“The council found the money to employ the lawyers at Eversheds but not enough to pay workers a fair wage. Their priorities are unacceptable. This local authority has been punishing the lowest paid but protecting those on the highest wages. They recently increased the salary for a new director of education by £20,000 a year.”

Her predecessor, Mrs Pauline Jarman, said: “People will question the spending on expensive outside lawyers when the authority has its own team of lawyers.

“But I feel most for the employees of RCT who have seen their terms and conditions dramatically reduced while those at the top have remained untouched.”

Rhondda Cynon Taf council’s Labour leader Russell Roberts said: “The council utilises the services of external solicitors when it requires specialist legal advice – it would cost considerably more for the council to employ specialists in every legal field we could possibly need.

“Much of the specialist advice received has been in relation to joint working to secure efficiency savings across the public sector.

“The figures may seem high but would be significantly higher if such a broad range of specialist legal advice was delivered ‘in-house’.

“Coun Jarman is well aware that we engaged a leading employment law firm in order to meet our legal responsibilities to deliver equal pay and job evaluation.”

Maureen Webber, the council’s cabinet member for community engagement and council business, added: “I would suggest Coun Jarman and other Plaid Cymru councillors begin attending overview and scrutiny meetings, where they will secure the background to this issue. Plaid Cymru carp from the sidelines but come forward with no alternative to assist the council in dealing with the difficult situation we find ourselves in, thanks to the cuts to public spending. They also continue to mislead the public about the terms and condition changes we were forced to make, in order to deal with the impact of cuts in public spending from the ConDem Government.

“No one received a pay cut as a result of the changes to terms and conditions. The amendments affected additional allowances some staff received, such as overtime and mileage reimbursement. Ms Wood also forgets to mention that job evaluation, a completely separate exercise to the terms and conditions changes, led to 80% of our employees either staying the same, or increasing, their salaries.

“We are one of the only councils in Wales not to make people redundant this year and there have also been no cuts to services which the public rely upon.”